Alonso not expecting easy weekend at Hockenheim

German Grand Prix – McLaren’s Fernando Alonso says he doesn’t think Hockenheim will play to the strengths of the MCL33 this weekend.

McLaren head to Germany this weekend P7 in the Constructor’s Championship, a solitary point behind Force India. More worryingly for the Woking team is the fact that, of the three Renault powered teams, they have the lowest points score – highlighting inadequacies in the chassis and downforce areas.

As a result, Fernando Alonso says he’s not expecting this weekend to be plain sailing. The Spaniard finished P8 last time out in Silverstone, with McLaren appearing stronger in race trim than in qualifying:

“We know we need to work on our qualifying performances to give ourselves the best chance on Sunday, but we’ve also seen that during the race we can push forward and secure points, so the aim is to achieve the same in Germany next weekend.”

“After the tough triple-header, the team have had a few days back with their families and friends before we go again with a final push in Germany and Hungary prior to the summer break. “It’s great that Formula 1 is returning to Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix after two years. Both of our drivers have experience at this track and its revered as a real racer’s circuit. “Given that none of the teams have visited this circuit for two years means Friday will be a busy day on-track for us all, as we work hard to correlate our sim work and fine-tune our package for Saturday and Sunday.” Gil De Ferran, Sporting Director

“The next couple of races before the summer break are on very different tracks. We need to work hard, and do as much as possible to adapt our set-up for each of them to maximise our chances. We know this weekend won’t be an easy track for us but we’ll give it our best as always.”

Alonso has won at Hockenheim before, and is one of the two drivers left on the grid to have raced at the original Hockenheimring layout last used in his debut season in 2001. Speaking about the track, he said:

“I enjoy racing at Hockenheim and have won there three times so it’s great to be back after a break last year. The track is viewed as one of the classics, it’s fun to drive and there are a couple of overtaking opportunities – and an extra DRS zone this year – so hopefully we can fight with the cars around us.”

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